THE WAKKER WEEKLY - Issue #1264 - Posted on: 20-Apr-2015

Bushwakker News

Our premium red wine special for April is Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. The white is Charles Smith (2014 Winemaker of The Year) Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington State. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $25.95 for a half litre.

Our guest draught tap is currently pouring the Centennial Single Hop Pale Ale from the Nokomis Brewery. Next up is a specialty offering from the Paddock Wood Brewery in Saskatoon. The Cerces Elixir is a barrel-aged version of their Imperial IPA.

Bushwakker Events

Apr. 16: Science Pub edition #28 – Let’s Talk Trash: The Use of Landfill Technology. Presented by The University of Regina Faculty of Science and The Bushwakker Brewpub. Our wildly popular monthly Science Pub Series continues in 2015! Enjoy lectures on scientific topics of general interest in our Arizona Room (main floor banquet room) over beer and snacks. The room opens at 5:00 PM and quite often is full by 6:00 PM. Avoid disappointment and come down early for dinner and a pint before the presentation which begins at 7:00 PM. This month's lecture will be presented by Dr. Kelvin T. W. Ng from the U of R Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. In Canada, the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rate has been increasing since 1990. Currently we generate more MSW per-capita than most other countries. Landfill technology is the most commonly used MSW treatment method in Canada. Operation of landfills and other land disposal sites, however, contributes to many environmental problems, such as the generation of methane (a greenhouse gas) and leachate (a toxic and concentrated “garbage juice”)

In this episode of Edible Films (produced by Edible Brooklyn), Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver shares his thoughts on craft beer as it relates to American food today. For Oliver, beer is food, and he considers himself to be the chef of the brewery.

Here are three powerful quotes from the video that summarize Oliver’s view of the rise (or renaissance) of American craft beer and food.

•“To me, beer is really a part of the story of American food. If you look at the way craft beer has risen over the last 20 years, it tracks exactly with olive oil, cheese, bread, ice cream—everything that’s made a comeback from an industrialized food system.”

•“Beer is simply a part of the renaissance of American food.”

•“Industrialized food and industrialized beer was weird. We had 400 years of brewing in the Americas and only 50-60 years was this weird little spot where we had flavorless beer that was made by machines. And now, we’re recovering.”

When Garrett Oliver says that beer is as old as civilization itself, he’s not kidding. Maybe that’s why, unlike the Olympics or World Cup, global beer supremacy is a difficult thing to quantify when borders are brought into question. If you’re looking at sheer production volume numbers, China is number one. If you’re looking at consumption per capita numbers, it’s the Czech Republic.

But if you’re looking at quality, innovation, and the overall scene, the numbers are far from the only things to consider, especially given the rapid change in the industry in the past decade. We hit the statistics logs, critical ranking publications, history books, and bars (obviously) to come up with a list of which countries are doing good beer the most proud these days.

By: Zach Mack Thrillist March 16, 2015
7. CanadaFor years, beer tradition in Canada did little to step outside of pale lagers pumped out en masse by macrobrewers. But, much like their neighbors to the South, Canada gained an initial wave of craft breweries in the early ’80s that carried through to today. Quebec can lay claim to some of the earliest and most vocal international acclaim for its Belgian-inspired beers: almost half of the top-rated beers in the country come from the province, including Unibroue, Dieu du Ciel, and McAuslan. Couple this with a smattering of world-class beer bars from coast to coast and burgeoning microbreweries, such as Toronto’s Bellwoods and BC’s Parallel 49, and you’ve got a beer culture that can compete on the global scale

6. Japan

As a country known for its attention to detail in production, it should come as no surprise that great beer in Japan is far from an afterthought. Known domestically as ji-biru (“local beer”) or kurafuto bia (“craft beer”), microbreweries have been taking off since the mid-’90s when government restrictions on brewing minimums were relaxed. Since then, there has been no limit to the styles of beer tackled, ranging from Belgian witbiers to hoppy IPAs to coffee stouts from breweries like Kiuchi Brewery (who makes Hitachino Nest Beer) and Echigo Biru. Japanese microbreweries are also perennial winners at the International Brewing Awards, and, in the past few years, exports have increased dramatically thanks to popularity and increased production, making it easier to get your hands on a bottle (especially on the West Coast).

5. DenmarkWhile Denmark’s beer styles haven’t been as popular outside its borders as powerhouses like Belgium’s or Germany’s, they have a solid lineup of traditional seasonal specialties, while the tidal wave of new microbreweries emulate international styles with aplomb. The far-and-away darling of the craft beer scene there is Mikkeller, whose very presence has done plenty to elevate Denmark in the eyes of the international community and has ushered in a revitalized era of production and brewery openings. Along with other popular small breweries such as To Øl, it’s common to see Denmark represented on bottle and draft lists in the best beer bars around the world and on top beer-rating lists.

4. Germany
Germany ranks in the top five countries in the world for volume of beer production and ranks number three for beer consumption per capita. Even with numbers aside, it’s practically against the law to make bad beer: the Reinheitsgebot (or German Beer Purity Law) has kept many breweries’ recipes the same for centuries. Mainstays like Ayinger still provide beers that are considered gold standards for their styles, and historic breweries, like Riegele, who exemplify popular domestic styles, keep local specialties alive despite lack of interest outside the country.
Even with the stringent tie to tradition, revolutionary small breweries have been popping up: some, like Freigeist (translated as “free spirit”), highlight “endangered” German styles, while some young upstarts in Berlin, like Vagabund Brauerei, are doing international styles in what was once a beer wasteland of a city.

3. United Kingdom
Craft beer in the UK is not only thriving, it’s exploding: slow-but-steady changes in legislation have led to the highest number of breweries in the country since World War II, and advances in technology and investment in the industry are revitalizing everything from kegging practices to hop production. The UK now boasts the highest number of breweries in the world per capita, and innovative breweries such as the Wild Beer Co, the Kernel, Beavertown, and Harviestoun have begun to draw younger drinkers away from the pale lagers that have dominated pubs’ draft lines for decades. Plus, along with Belgium and Germany, the UK is amongst the historical core of style creation that acts as a pillar for modern beer-making.

2. United States
Traditionalists may deny it up and down, but there is no questioning it: the United States is a world leader in beer today. Breweries here are opening at a rate of 1.5 per day, American brews positively dominate global ranking lists, and, although the overall amount of beer consumption has dipped slightly, there has been a marked increase in the consumption of craft beers in the US of A. The American brewing style is so popular in other countries that craft brewers are expanding to Europe, including Stone’s plans for a Berlin brewery and Brooklyn Brewery’s sister operation in Sweden. Breweries like Hill Farmstead, Russian River, and 3 Floyds have entered the rarified upper atmosphere of globally adored breweries, where almost forgotten styles have been revitalized and innovated upon with a ton of success. However you slice it, the unprecedented explosion of beer culture in the USA is showing no signs of slowing down.

1. Belgium
Whether you’re drinking a lambic, saison, dubbel, or witbier, Belgium is a rare example of tradition meeting innovation that lives through to present day. Globally, the esteem of Belgian beer has not waned in the slightest, thanks to brands like Kwak, Rodenbach, Gulden Draak, Chimay, Cantillon, Tilquin, and Brasserie Dupont. Thanks largely to preserved Belgian brewing techniques, styles are still widely emulated, and production methods, including bottle fermentation and coolships, are still used. But on top of that, contemporary breweries like de la Senne, Alvinne, and Hof ten Dormaal have kept things fresh in the country by elevating traditional styles by using modern techniques and ingredients. Simply put, it’s hard to top the globally recognized and coveted brands that come from Belgium, all while still hosting a vibrant culture within its own borders.

ED. Note: Countries from 13 to 8 are discussed in the original document.

Time Out.

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for her homework assignment.

The teacher graded it and the child took it home.
She returned to school the next day with the following note:
Dear Ms. Davis, I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money.
I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a snow shovel.
Sincerely, Mrs. Harrington

A man was constipated, so he decided to go to the doctor. The doctor examined him and explained, "I'm going to give you some suppositories. I'll insert one now, and then I'll give you another one for later this evening."
Later that evening, the man asks has his wife to insert the suppository. She agrees reluctantly, then puts one hand on his shoulder and inserts the suppository. Suddenly, her husband shrieks, "Aahhhhh!"
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" she asks.
"No... I just realized that the doctor had *both* his hands on my shoulders!"

Doctor Joe had slept with one of his patients and had felt guilty all day long.
No matter how much he tried to forget about it, he couldn't.
The guilt and sense of betrayal was overwhelming.
But every once in a while he'd hear that soothing voice, within himself, trying to reassure him. "Joe, don't worry about it. You aren't the first doctor to sleep with one of their patients and you won't be the last. And you're single. Let it go."
But invariably the other voice would bring him back to reality: "Joe, you're a vet."